SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Weary from the trip to Kansas City, where his Schaumburg Flyers just lost their 12th straight game, Manager Andy McCauley drops by his boss' office to learn which players the Internet masses have chosen for him to start. "This is the strangest one yet," warns Rich Ehrenreich, the minor league team's president and managing partner. Nothing unusual about the field positions. But as Ehrenreich runs through the batting order against the Joliet JackHammers, McCauley lowers his forehead to his hand and wonders what the fans were thinking.An outfielder who often bats last is leading off. The second spot, usually reserved for a hitter who runs well and gets on base often, is occupied by a big catcher who does neither. The slugger who normally bats fourth is dropped to sixth. "It makes no sense," Ehrenreich concedes. "But you know what? It could be just goofy enough to work."
"Just goofy enough to work" may well prove to be the operating principle of the Flyers' experiment with fan-picked lineups as part of "Fan Club: Reality Baseball," an Internet show that takes fantasy baseball leagues to new levels of interactivity. Ehrenreich agreed to let fans, voting online, decide the team's starting lineup each night. Diehard supporters, opposing fans and Web surfers who know nothing about the team all have an equal say about which Flyers play and which ride the pine.
"It's 'Bull Durham'-meets-fantasy-sports come to life," said Larry Tanz, chief executive of LivePlanet, the Santa Monica-based production company that created the reality show, which can be seen on Microsoft Corp.'s MSN Video website and at fanclub.msn.com. But in reaching out to his customers, Ehrenreich has ticked off his manager, many of his players and even some fans. They say the promotion threatens the integrity of baseball.
"No one, I don't care what your job is, likes to be told what to do, let alone from 10,000 guys sitting on their couches," McCauley said.
(excerpts from an article by Chris Gaither)
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